Blasting cap crimper



Gat. i5, 1946. v A. DJlDlCs 2,409,549

BLASTING CAP CRIMPER Filed April 2l, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l lll - Oct.15, 1946.v A, DJlDlcs 2,409,549

BLASTING CAP GRIMPER Filed April 2l, 1944 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6/ :El E Dg/ Z D INVENTOR. .721; eafanaeT-jz' [J7/fc5,

K mlm-mmm 0M 771 t Patented Oct. 15, 1946 BLASTING CAI CRIMPER AlexanderDjidics, Tamaqua, Pa., assignor to Atlas Powder Company, Wilmington,Del., a corporation of Delaware Application April 21, 1944, Serial No.532,201

8 Claims.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple andinexpensive device for crimping blasting caps upon the safety fuses solargely used in blasting operations.

As this description proceeds it will be seen that the device of thepresent invention will so constrict the upper end of the blasting capabout the fuse that the resultant crimp will be absolutely smooth,uniform and water-tight.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 isa composite view of the whole assembly with the partsillustrated in separated relation;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the crimping jaws disposed in assembledrelation;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view'upon line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a magniiied view of the contacting and working surfaces of oneof the jaws;

Fig. 5 is an edge View of the parts illustrated in Fig. l, showing thesame in assembled relation;

Fig. 6 is a side. view of the structure of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a modification of the invention whichadapts they crimper for bench use; and

Fig. 8 is a horizontal, sectional view of the structure of Fig. "I,taken on line 8--8 of Fig. 7.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 6v of the drawings, 5 designates aring-like head to which a handle 6 is secured by the screws l. Thecenter of the ring is spanned by a web 8, the body of the ring beingmaterially thicker than the web. Guide slots 9 and Iii are formed in theopposite faces of the web 8, said slots being disposed at right anglesto each other. These slots are of such depth that at their points ofcrossing they actually intersect and form the opening I I, through theweb. A pair of crimping jaws is disposed in each of the guide slots,these jaws being clearly illustrated in Figures 2 to 4. Each jawcomprises. the body portion I2 having the crimping recess I 3 formed inits forward edge, each jawV carrying an outstanding pin Ilt. The .arcsi5 of the -recesses I3 (see the magnied Fig. 4) are upon the radius ofthe shell before crimping, lwhile the arcs I5 define the radius of theynal crimp. The jaws are placed in the guide slots in .the assembled.relation illustrated'in Fig. Zand the pins I4. are engaged in thearcuate eccentric slots Il and I8 of cam plates IS. The cam plates IEare dimensioned to t in the circular recesses Ell created bythesuperiorthickness of the ring 5- with respectto the thickness of theweht.- Cap 2 plates 2l secured in position by screws 2lil cover the camplates I9 and hold the whole in assembled relation. The cap plates areprovided with central openings 22 and the cam plates are provided withcentral openings 23 to permit the passage oftheblasting cap to the pointwhere the outer end portion of said blasting cap will lie in the path ofmovement of the working surfaces of the jaws I 2. It will be observedthat while the pairs of jaws lie in di'erent planes, their workingsurfaces lie in substantially the same plane due to the fact that thevjaws are inverted with respect to each other and have their workingedges X disposed toward their confronting surfaces. The result is that,in practice, the inal crimp is found to be smooth, neat and uniformentirely around the cap. The cam plates I9 carry handles 2li. Thesehandlesare tied together at their outer ends, by a bolt or screw 25which passes through said handles and through a relatively thick spacingwasher` 26. Consequently the handles 24 move together as a unit `andwhen they are forced toward the handle 6 the cam slots I'I act upon pinsifi, to move jaws I2 forcibly, uniformly and in unison toward the centerof the ring 5. A spring 2'? is engaged at 28 with that portion of thehandle 6 that is secured to the ring 5. The outer end of this spring issecured at 2'9 to the handles 24; Thus, the spring tends to move thehandles 2d away from handles 6 or to the dotted line positionillustrated in Fig. 6. A hook 3i) pivoted at 3l to the handles 6 andengageable over the washer 26 holds the handles together, or in the fullline position of Fig. 6, when the device is not being used. A stop 32 iscarried by the handles 2li and limits the movement of these handlestoward handle 6. This limits the pressure which may be imposed upon theblasting` cap in the crimping operation. This pressure may be varied atwill by adjusting the stop 32 along the handles 2i?. The stop is carriedby a stud which passes between the handles 24 and is engaged by a nut 33which bears upon the top of said handles. By loosening this nut the stopmay be adjusted along these handles. The material of the ring 5 is cutaway at one point upon each side of the web 8 to provide passageways 36through which the handles 24 may project' and in which said'handles mayhave thenecessary swinging movement towardand from the handle 6. Thestructure illustrated in'FigsxT and 8 is very similar to that heretoforedescribed and the same reference characters have been applied insofar asthey are properly applicable. Here a base 35, adapted to he scure-dtdabench., carries. a xture se, cerresponding to the ring of Fig. 1. Thisring is spanned by a web 8a corresponding to the web 8. Cap plates 2 I bhold cam plates IS* in place and the handles Zita move in the cutawayportion 36a of the fixture 5a and are limited by a stop 32a. rThe jawsare the same as those heretofore described andare actuated in the samemanner by the cam plates of the handles 24a.

By disposing the pairs of crimping jaws in different planes and bymounting the jaws in such manner that the jaws of one pair travelin adifferent plane from the jaws of the other pair, a more continuous crimpcan be had than if all the jaws were mounted in the same plane. In knowndevices having all the jaws traveling in the same plane the abutting ofthe inner ends of the jaws against each other, as they move toward thework, either prevents the jaws from indenting the metal of the capdeeply enough to giveV a water-tight joint or prevents the contactingsurfaces of the jaws from completely embracing the cap. The mounting ofthe jaws as herein shown and described permits such overlapping actionof the jaws as to completely embrace the cap and yet permits inwardmovement of the jaws to the extent necessary to indent the cap metal tothe degree necessary to insure a water-tight result.

If the arc in-the concaveend of each crimping jaw that is on the radiusof the crimp equals 90, the crimp will extend completely around the cap.if the jaws are entirely closed. In practice, I usually prefer toprovide some overlap by making that arc about 100. However, the lengthof that arc may be increased anda value as great as about 120 is quitesatisfactory. In general, it will usuallyr be found desirable to providethat arc approximately between 90 and 120. The remainder of the concaveend of each jaw is of the radius of the uncrimped portion of theblasting cap shell. Thus, there will be a minimum distortion of theshell metal in a direction at right angles to the motion of the jaw.

The basic idea herein setforth of having a plurality of crimping jawsmounted to move toward a common center, with some jaws traveling in oneplane and others in another plane, is susceptible of use in any multiplejaw structure. That is, it is not limited to a four jaw arrangement, butcould be embodied in a six jaw arrangement with three jaws on one sideof the support and three jaws on the other,

Since many ways of modifying the proposed structure will readily suggestthemselves to those skilled in the' art, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the precise arrangement shown, but that itincludes within its purview whatever changes fairly come within eitherthe terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim l. Means for crimpingblasting caps upon fuses, comprising a head spanned by a web, said Webhaving guide ways formed in its opposite faces7 said guide ways lyingsubstantially at right angles with respect to each other, a pair of jawsmounted in each of said guide ways. .al pair otcam plates seated in saidhead, oneuponeach sideof shaped to ccmplementally'and cirumferentallyindent a blasting cap to crimp the same upon a fuse.

2. A structure as recited in claim 1, in combination with cap platessecured to each side of the head and overlapping the cam plates toretain them in position, said cap plates and said cam plates beingprovided with central openings to permit the passage of a blasting capto a position between the confronting ends of said jaws.

3. In a cap crimping device, a head in the form of a segmental ring,said segmental ring being spanned by a web and the ring being materiallythicker than the web, said web being channeled upon each of its faces toprovide guide ways, said guide ways lying at right angles with respectto each other and being deep enough to intersect and leave an openingthrough the web at their point of crossing, a pair of opposed jawsmounted to slide toward and from each other in each of said guide ways,said jaws being provided with aring recesses at their confronting endsconstituting working surfaces shaped to complementally andcircumferentially indent a blasting cap, a pair of cam plates seated inthe ring upon opposite sides of the head, outstanding pins carried bythe jaws, arcuate cam slots carried by the cam plates and engaging saidpins, handlelike members carried by the cam plates and projectingoutwardly from the ring and by which turning movement may be imparted tothe cams to cause their cam slots to act upon the pins to move the jawsuniformly toward a common center and means for connecting said handlesfor causing them to move in unison, the portions of smallest diameter ofthe recesses constituting relatively narrow Aworking surfaces which lietoward the confronting sides of the jaws to thereby bring all of thesaid working surfaces into substantially the same plane.

4. A structure as recited in claim 3, wherein the working surfaces ofthe jaws are formed upon two diiferent arcs, the central portion beingupon an arc corresponding to the radius of the final crimp, andextending at least 45 upon each side of the center, the remainder of theworking surfaces being upon arcs corresponding to the outside radius ofthe blasting cap before crimping.

5. A crimping jaw assembly for blasting cap crimping mechanismscomprising two pairs of jaws disposed substantially at right angles toeach other, the jaws of one pair lying and moving in a plane below theplane of the jaws of the other pair, each jaw being provided upon itsinner end with a concave recess, dimensioned to constitute a crimpingsurface for blasting caps, said recesses flaring in a direction awayfrom the confronting faces of the two pairs of jaws, so that the part ofsmallest diameter of said concave recesses is caused to lie at theconfronting sides of the jaws of the two pairs and so that the workingsurfaces of the two pairs of jaws are brought into substantially thesame plane,

6. A crimping -jaw assembly for blasting cap crimping mechanisms.comprising two pairs," of jaws disposed substantially at right angles toeach other, and in different planes said jaws being provided withrecesses at their confronting ends constituting. working surfacesshapedto complementally and circumferentially indent. a blastn in g cap,each said working surface being formed upon two different arcs, thecentral portion being upon an arc corresponding to the radius of theside of: the center, the remainder of each work- 'ing' surface' beinglfan-'arc' eorrespondingf'to 5 the outside radius of the blasting capbefore crimping.

7. A structure as recited in claim 6, wherein the working surfaces ofthe jaws operate in substantially the same plane, are bevelled outwardlyand wherein the inner are of each recess is suiiciently long that theworking surface presented by the inner arcs of the several jawscomplementally occupy more than 360 so that an Overlap of these workingsurfaces is provided in their action upon a blasting cap.

8. A blasting cap crimper comprising a supporting body, means forslidibly mounting and actuating two pairs of crimping jaws upon saidbody to move toward and from a common center, the two jaws of one pairtravelling from and to- Ward each other in a diiferent plane from thetwo jaws of the other pair, the inner sides of the jaws of one pairclosely abutting the inner sides of the jaws of the other pair, the endsof all of said jaws at their confronting sides being provided withconcave and arcuate recesses which are bevelled from the confrontingsides of the two pairs of jaws outwardly, the portions of smallestdiameter of said recesses constituting a relatively narrow workingsurface, the working surfaces of al1 of the jaws operating insubstantially the same plane, the configuration of said recesses beingsuch that slightly more than one-fourth and not more than one-third ofthe concave recesses of each of the jaws is on the radius of thefinished crimp.

ALEXANDER DJIDICS.

